--- title: The Striking Work of Early African-American Photographers description: These photographs declared the worth of their subjects within a larger society that often denigrated them canonical: https://time.com/5539596/early-african-american-photographers/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-28T16:00:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T00:45:46.000Z article:section: History og:title: The Striking Work of Early African-American Photographers og:description: African Americans were among the first photographers in the United States og:url: https://time.com/5539596/early-african-american-photographers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt338f9eba1a98ddc5/698945e8ab6d7731ab6b4e87/woman-in-graduation-attire.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1481 og:image:height: 833 og:image:alt: Portrait of a woman in graduation attire og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Striking Work of Early African-American Photographers twitter:description: African Americans were among the first photographers in the United States twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt338f9eba1a98ddc5/698945e8ab6d7731ab6b4e87/woman-in-graduation-attire.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Pictures by Early African-American Photographers Did More Than Capture a Moment > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi / National Museum of African American History and Culture](https://time.com/author/national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture/) ## Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi / National Museum of African American History and Culture Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:45 AM UTCPublished: Feb 28, 2019 4:00 PM UTC  Black and white portrait of a woman in graduation attire. The woman is standing with the left side of her body faceing the camera and is wearing a graduation cap and gown. Her high neck lace blouse is visible underneath her gown. Taken by Addison N. Scurlock, 1900s-1910s. The Scurlock Studio in Washington, D.C., served the city's black community, documenting the milestone moments of their lives. Black and white portrait of a woman in graduation attire. The woman is standing with the left side of her body faceing the camera and is wearing a graduation cap and gown. Her high neck lace blouse is visible underneath her gown. Taken by Addison N. Scurlock, 1900s-1910s. The Scurlock Studio in Washington, D.C., served the city's black community, documenting the milestone moments of their lives.Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jennifer Cain Bohrnstedt by [Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi / National Museum of African American History and Culture](https://time.com/author/national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture/) ## Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi / National Museum of African American History and Culture Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:45 AM UTCPublished: Feb 28, 2019 4:00 PM UTC African Americans were among the first photographers in the United States. Some white photographers created sympathetic portraits of black people. However, black photographers shared a personal stake in portraying black subjects respectfully, and in affirming the worth not only of each person, but of the entire race. The earliest photographic process popularized in the United States was the daguerreotype, which produced mirrorlike images in extraordinarily fine detail. Deborah Willis has documented fifty black daguerreotypists who operated studios in American cities. Two of these pioneers, Augustus Washington and James Presley Ball, are represented in the [National Museum of African American History and Culture](https://nmaahc.si.edu/)’s collection. Although daguerreotypes were fragile, they were usually encased so that they could be handled and travel more safely. At home or on the road, these photographs helped people remember those who were important to them and, when shared, prompted stories about them. Because these images were not easily reproduced, viewing them likely occurred primarily within family or social circles. In the early 20th century, many black photographers committed to the powerful idea of the New Negro. Promoted by intellectuals such as Alain Locke and W. E. B. Du Bois, the New Negro had at its core race pride, self-reliance and the expectation of equal rights. In the book [_Pictures With Purpose: Early Photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1911282239/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1911282239&linkId=3bd533807c69b957b0e4e00f52f69ce9), Tanya Sheehan discusses the work of black photographers such as Cornelius M. Battey, Arthur P. Bedou, John Johnson and Addison N. Scurlock, whose photographs of men, women, and children embodied racial pride. Many were reproduced widely in the black press and were intended to provide models for black audiences. These self-affirming photographs surely had a significant impact on African Americans. They declared black people’s worth, both as individuals and as a group, within a larger society that often denigrated them. The exact meaning of any image is personal, but in viewing dignified portrayals of themselves, African Americans must have found inspiration, pride, and solace. Today, these pictures are still captivating, encouraging us to celebrate the agency and aspirations of legions of black people, behind and in front of the camera. _Adapted from “The Social Lives of Photographs” by Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi in_ [Pictures With Purpose: Early Photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1911282239/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1911282239&linkId=3bd533807c69b957b0e4e00f52f69ce9)_, part of the_ [_Double Exposure_](https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/news/double-exposure-national-museum-african-american-history-and-culture-presents-new-book) _series from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. To be published by D Giles Ltd. and the NMAAHC in March._ **Correction, March 4:** _The original version of a photo caption in this gallery contained a misspelling of the name of a photographer’s studio. Addison N. Scurlock’s studio was the Scurlock Studio, not the Shculock Studio._  Black and white portrait of a woman in graduation attire. The woman is standing with the left side of her body faceing the camera and is wearing a graduation cap and gown. Her high neck lace blouse is visible underneath her gown. Taken by Addison N. Scurlock, 1900s-1910s. The Scurlock Studio in Washington, D.C., served the city's black community, documenting the milestone moments of their lives. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jennifer Cain Bohrnstedt  W.E.B. Du Bois portrait by Cornelius M. Battey. 1918\. Battey worked as the head of the photography division at the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Tuskegee Archives  Daguerreotype photograph of a white man taken by Augustus Washington ca. 1850\. Washington opened a photo studio in Connecticut in 1843 and advertised in abolitionist papers; he immigrated to Liberia in 1853. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture  Sisters of the Holy Family (Louisiana) photographed by Arthur P. Bedou, 1913\. Bedou was self-taught and captured many facets of life in New Orleans. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Sisters of the Holy Family, New Orleans  Cabinet card of an unidentified woman photographed by JP Ball & Son, 1887-1900\. James Presley Ball put his work to use in the service of the anti-slavery movement, for example by exhibiting pictures and paintings that showed the institution's cruelty, in a Cincinnati show in 1855. 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